As the title suggests, it was about children growing up and passing out of childhood.
The author was a father faced with a familiar challenge: trying to communicate with his teenage son. At one point he asks his son whether he’s engaging in certain behaviors: smoking, drinking, drugs, sex.

Here’s a close-up. It was a good chance for me to experiment with skin tones and related lighting effects.

You’ll notice the dad’s hair has gradated color indicating reflected light. The son’s hair, however, is solid yellow. Experience has taught me that “gradated yellows” are usually ineffective, and tend to weaken an image. There are exceptions, but I usually leave yellows alone.

It’s also interesting to note that a single simple line makes a very effective pouty lip!

Perhaps the most poignant moment in the essay occurs when the teenage son decides
to have a yard sale and sell his large collection of stuffed animals. It signals that his childhood is at an end. I came up with an image that literally spells out that fact.

I used a “camel’s hair” Photoshop brush to color the empty nest. It produces a pleasantly streaky line that simulates the woven texture of an actual nest.

A good illustration makes things easy for the viewer. A key point here is helping the reader see the word CHILDHOOD. It’s trickier than it sounds.

It means keeping the letters uniformly spaced, and in a fairly straight line. Also: a couple of the letters had to be fitted into very small spaces. The final effect seems pretty natural, but in real life, of course, shirt images and text are often obscured by wrinkles.

The essay ends on a hopeful note. The father shows his son how to poach eggs. They talk while they wait for the timer to go off.

Finally, they butter toast and slide on the eggs. The son stabs his yolk with a fork, and the father, in an inspired moment, does the same.

Male bonding. It can be a messy business. It can also be a beautiful thing.

One of the Photoshop brush settings is Dissolve. It applies color in grainy specks, as opposed to a smooth stroke. You can also adjust the Spacing and Scattering settings, and change the brush shape to vary this effect.

I’d never used the Dissolve setting before. I learned it makes great toast!

Have you ever witnessed an event and thought: my little boy or girl is growing up?

Do you stab your poached eggs with a fork, or do you let them “live” till the last possible moment??

Hope you’ll leave a comment.

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Thank you, Annie! I embedded some of those new aroma-pixels in the toast illo. You must have smelled them, that’s why you were seized with that sudden compulsion to make toast. Am I making all this up? Well, yes… : )

Excellent, Mark. The teen’s expression is priceless. Even the stuffed animals are sad [well, with the exception of the last D which is …laughing at the boy!]. And the bonding in the last one works so well. Bravo & chapeau, my friend!
🙂

I appreciate your appreciation, sir, and I’m very happy you enjoyed that aspect of the post. I always enjoy hearing some of the details behind other people’s creations, and I try to remember to share some of my own. I also try to remember to keep it short, because it’s always embarrassing when readers’ eyes glaze over… : )

I loved this illustration, Mark. It does bring back memories when my two little girls weren’t so little any more. (They did keep a couple of their stuffed animals and dolls, though.) Sigh. Now my grandchildren are growing up. I will just have to savor this experience to the fullest while I can.

What a lovely comment, Judy– thank you very much. There is something about seeing childhood slip away that conjurers up all sorts of emotions. I suppose it’s like so many other things– we never appreciate them till they’re gone.

Funny– I’d never considered that grandchildren represent a second chance to enjoy childhood. As we grow older, we seem to develop a keener appreciation for its special innocence. We also seem to forget all the “hard knocks” it so often involves! Ah, well. One thing I’m sure of– you’re a top-of-the-line grandmaw!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mark. I do think that being a Grammy is a 2nd chance to get it right. (Remember Bill Cosby’s line about his parents spoiling his own children: “These are not my parents. These are not the people I grew up with.”) Yeah! That kind of grandparent. 😆

Memories of childhood can be pretty raw, Jak. I can certainly remember my share of painful moments. Sometimes I’m wise enough to remember that all we really have is the present moment, and we must do our best with that.

Always good to see you, even when you’re only at 99% of your usual witty, sporting form! : )

Tutti!! How lovely of you to suddenly appear and spread your special brand of joy! A day without Tutti, is like a day without sunshine, as the weatherman likes to say… : )

Yes, I’m a master when it comes to pouty lips. I stand in front of the mirror and practice for hours… : P

Your son is driving a car now?? But he’s just a baby!! I fear a policeman will be giving him a ticket for underage driving, and he’ll be giving you a lecture for being an overly indulgent mother!! Oh, well. I’m sure you’ll be able to talk your way out of it… : )

My dear Tutti!! You have suddenly popped up out of nowhere, and brightened my universe! It’s amazing, the effect you have… : )

Yes, I understand a woman’s nature. I can see into her soul. I’m probably the only man who has this ability. And if you believe that, I have a can of Brazil nuts grown in the Black Forest I want to sell you… : )

Many thanks to you and your mysterious secretive aura for visiting my blog!! : )

The lads are 18 and 15? Ouch! That did hit close to home for you, Jen! Ah, childhood. It does have a habit of slipping away, and we must enjoy it while we can. The wonder of a child is a glorious thing, and hopefully we can keep a bit of that in our hearts…

Oh, dear. I’m starting to wax poetic. Time for another cup of coffee!!

Always delightful to see you, Jen, thanks for that lovely comment! : )

I love this one, Mark! The “story” of child becoming adult with parent. The garage sale of stuffed toy animals and eggs male bonding..just great stuff. Funny with a tiny tinge of poignancy that we all know since we are each a daughter or son.

Interesting– I hadn’t thought about the poached egg bonding as a “child becoming adult with a parent.” You’re right, that element is there: what was previously only a child-parent relationship has moved toward an adult-adult relationship.

I also like your point about us all being sons and daughters. No childhood is perfect, but most of us are lucky enough to have some happy memories. They do come rushing back sometimes with special poignancy…

Ha! Wiser souls than I have pointed out that cartooning and illustration are the art of knowing what to leave out. Sometimes a single line is all you need– perhaps that’s why so many of us are good at pouting!! : )

Great blog, very interesting to think about a story or article, etc. from the perspective of the illustrator who has to think about how and when to capture the story in an image. And to answer your question – I stab my yokes early on so I can soak them up in the bread, delicious!

Many thanks for visiting my blog, and I sincerely appreciate your kind comment.

You stab your eggs early– excellent! You can’t stab them too soon, IMO– gotta get them soaking into the bread straightaway! Do you ever make that “Psycho” sound when you stab them? I think it makes them taste better… : P

This is a classic my friend, I peeked inside the mind of a genius, my son is sliding towards his teenage years and I can’t help but dread the inevitable. I love this, I’ll invite my husband to take a peek too!
Blessings. 🙂

The mind of a genius?? Goodness me, I really had no idea! I’ll have to take better care of it, take it out and dust it once in awhile… : P

Thank you for that, er, mind-boggling compliment, my dear Seyi! Yes, it’s bittersweet to see childhood draw to a close, but every age has its charms– even the teen-age! And I know any son of yours is a good lad, and is sure to grow ever more solicitous towards his mom. (He may have an off-day now and then, but I know he’ll bounce back!!)

Doing anything much with yellow in digital art is a total bummer, ditto in photos, though adding tints of purple can help shade it a bit. I like to use Dissolve too, but for its spacey effect – can get a great night sky full of stars effect with it if the spacing is down.

Can’t say anything about teenage children as I haven’t any kids, but I sure as hell remember the lectures from my parents when I was a teen myself and they were pretty similar!!

Hi Mark,
I just came across your blog (don’t recall how!). Your sketches make me think, laugh and even cringe because they’re too close to home. This means you’re getting the message across. 😀 Kudos and keep going!
Radhika